(Quebec) The first signs of emergency room congestion in Greater Montreal are expected by the holidays by the Quebec Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists. Minister Christian Dubé undertakes for his part to publish “indicators” so that the general public can “measure the improvement” on the ground.
Posted at 5:44 p.m.
The Minister of Health asked the members of his “crisis cell” to target “indicators” so that the population could “measure” in a few clicks the progress of the decongestion of the emergency rooms of Greater Montreal. For the time being, information is available, in particular on its famous interactive dashboard, but it could be grouped together and simplified.
“What I want now is for Quebecers to be able to say: OK, we are going to follow this or that indicator [pour avoir une idée de la situation dans les urgences] “Said Christian Dubé briefly when he left the meeting of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. The minister promised to “return with a precise timetable” towards a return to normal in the emergency room, which is overflowing with patients.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Dr Gilbert Boucher, President of the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists of Quebec
The President of the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists of Quebec, Dr.r Gilbert Boucher, who is also a member of Minister Dubé’s “crisis unit”, said he expected to see the effects of the measures announced Tuesday – and those to come – by the holidays. “We hope it will happen before Christmas”, he indicated to The Presson the sidelines of the Scientific Congress of Emergency Medicine in Quebec.
“There are concrete solutions that can be [appliquées] in the field, but there is a lot of staff shortages, people are tired, so you have to pay attention to the network too. […] We know we won’t fall back to traffic [des urgences] at 50% tomorrow morning, but we want our emergencies to become safe again, ”he added.
Christian Dubé also delivered a speech on Wednesday morning to an audience of emergency physicians and doctors gathered at the Château Frontenac. The activity was closed to the media.
The day before, Mr. Dubé had unveiled three initial measures to unclog emergency rooms, including the creation of two specialized nurse practitioner clinics in Montreal, the purchase of beds outside the network and a return of the line “One call, one service”, by 811, for pediatric care.
Things are moving. Of course we are at the beginning of November, but the minister has made it clear that he wants results in the coming weeks, I think everyone has understood that, these are not measures that will help us next summer.
The Dr Gilbert Boucher, President of the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists of Quebec
Between skepticism and optimism
The president of the Quebec Association of Emergency Physicians, Dr.D Judy Morris says Tuesday’s announcement is “a good start,” but it shouldn’t stop there. She hopes that the nature of the current crisis can, like the pandemic, move the network. “Honestly, it’s not going so well on the pitch […]something has to be done,” she pleaded.
“When you are going through a crisis [comme celle-là], it allows us to move. COVID has shown us that, you have to be as agile because it’s a somewhat similar crisis that we’re going through,” illustrated the D.D Morris.
The average occupancy rate in Quebec’s emergency rooms is 119%, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, and the waiting time on a stretcher exceeds 18 hours. “I’ve been practicing for 10 years and I’ve never seen such a high occupancy rate,” argues the Dr Simon Drouin, emergency physician at Notre-Dame hospital, interviewed by The Press at congress.
Specialists welcomed the presence of Minister Dubé on Wednesday and his desire to restore the situation in an emergency. “The fact that it’s also worse right now, it looks like they [le Ministère et le ministre] are more aware. Will it work? I do not know. I will believe it when I see it, ”added the Dr Drouin. The key will be in the “implantation”, according to the Dr Boucher and the DD Morris.
A first “real test”, according to QS
For Québec solidaire, Minister Christian Dubé, who has just been reappointed, has before him a first “real test” with the emergency crisis. “Everyone is going to agree that he didn’t have it easy when he arrived in the middle of a pandemic, I’m ready to give him that. That said, now, we have to get out of plans on paper, Excel files, and we need results on the ground. This is the real test for the Minister of Health, ”said solidarity deputy Vincent Marissal.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Quebec Solidarity MNA Vincent Marissal
The spokesperson for health believes that the measures announced Tuesday go in the right direction while his training precisely proposed an increased use of 811 to increase access to the first line. Mr. Marissal also says he notices that the doctors still give Mr. Dubé “the runner’s chance”, which will one day or another have a limit.